Iron Range

The blonde was still on his mind as he steered his truck into the campground at a little after three in the afternoon. I wonder who she is. Maybe she works out at the same time every day. I should go back to the gym the same time tomorrow. Maybe I’ll catch her.

Matt blinked and pulled his keys from the truck’s ignition. No, he wasn’t going to waste his vacation thinking about some chick he’d probably never see again. So he stepped out into the sunny afternoon - as sunny as Minnesotan afternoons could get - and went to find a beer.

Every summer, a buddy of his from high school hosted a four-day camping trip on the shore of some lake that had a name no one knew. Matt had been coming out here as long as he could remember - to fish as a toddler, to swim as a pre-pubescent boy, to drink as a typical teenager. It felt clichéd to come back and party with the same people he’d grown up doing it with, but this week he’d let it slide. After a grueling season - with an abrupt trade and trying to adjust to a whole new team - Matt wanted to sink back to the days where grades were supposed to be his biggest concern and crack open a beer to let it all fade away.

“Matt! Hey!”

Matt stuffed his keys into his shorts’ pocket and looked up. He almost didn’t recognize the blond guy waving him down by the bon fire. It had been two years since he’d seen anyone, and he certainly didn’t remember a guy with a beer gut as pronounced as this guys’. If it weren’t for the ancient Twins baseball cap he recognized turned backward on the guys’ blonde head, there was no way he would have been able to recognize his closest buddy from high school.

“Jace!” he greeted back, raising a hand as a ‘hello’ as he approached. “It’s been a while!”

“Too long, bro.” Jace engulfed him in a man-hug, patting his back with a large hand before stepping back. “What’s our pro hockey friend been up to?”

Matt shrugged and dug into a cooler for a beer. He popped the lid off and took a long swig before he answered. “Just finished up the season a few weeks ago,” he said with a shrug. He didn’t really want to talk about hockey right now.

“Saw that,” Jace said with a sorrowful expression, like the end of their playoff run had taken a great toll on him as well. “Here, have a seat,” he offered, pointing his own beer toward an empty lawn chair. “There’s been a group of girls here that have been hoping you’d come since they got here. You’ll definitely have your pick of the litter.”

Matt glanced past Jace to the beach, where a throng of girls in bikinis had accumulated. Some were tanning, others were playing sand volleyball with a net that had been set up. Only a few had dared to try swimming in the lake. Matt tried to identify the blonde he’d met at the gym, but came up fruitless.

He sat back in his chair, glancing around the bon fire to all the vaguely familiar faces. He’d recognized Sam on his left, a defenseman that had played on his line in high school. His old fishing buddy, Alex, sat across from him with a little brunette in his lap. Matt recognized the girl as Amber - the two had gotten together after a dance in eighth grade and have been together since.

Campers and tents were set up around the fire, all in a large semi-circle. Like a gypsy camp. People were everywhere - going to and from the campers, scouring the communal food table, socializing in groups. Every so often, he’d see someone wag a finger his way.

“That’s Matt Niskanen.”

“The one that went pro?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

To them, he’d wave back. He could place a name to almost everyone there, and for the ones he couldn’t, he at least recognized them. Most of them he’d gone to high school with, other’s he remembered as sports rivals from nearby schools.

“Oh my God - Matty!”

Goosebumps rose on Matt’s arms. He hadn’t heard that voice since the day he’d left for college, in his new dorm room, telling him goodbye with a shaky voice. Her appearance materialized in his mind before he looked at her, even - the waist length light brown hair, her milky skin, the sparkling hazel eyes, and those lips he’d kissed so many times-

Matt cleared his suddenly narrow throat. “Hi, Natalie.” She was the last person he’d expected to see here. And she hadn’t changed a bit either - same flawless body, showcased by a tiny red bikini. Same flawless face, not a drop of makeup in sight because she never needed it.

“Well, give an ex-girlfriend a hug,” she demanded playfully, outstretching her long arms in his direction. As soon as he stood, she was around his waist, hard body pressed flush against his. Her head nuzzled against his chest. “I’ve missed you.”

Matt stepped back, clearing his throat again. “Yeah,” he muttered, unsure of how to respond. Things hadn’t ended badly between them; they’d just faded. Regardless of how things had ended, the atmosphere around them had turned awkward.

Natalie blinked, waiting for a more in-depth response. Everyone around them had grown quiet, too, waiting for the tension to dissipate before returning to their own conversations. “Um,” Natalie said, her smile returning, “we were just going to start another game of volleyball - do you want to join us?”

The wind picked up, ruffling her long, strait hair and hitting him with a wall of her scent. She smelled like summertime - fresh air and citrus. “Sure,” he said, knowing he had nothing else to lose here.

She grinned her bright white grin and grabbed him by the arm. “Great!” she cheered, leading him toward the beach. “But you’re on my team!”

Matt took another swig of beer while she wasn’t looking.

---

Somewhere during the second match, Matt’s shirt had come off. He told himself it was because it was warmer on the beach and he didn’t want sweat stains, but he knew the past two years of playing professional hockey had bulked him up. Why not shamelessly show it off?

“Zero’s,” he called as he stood behind the rope out-of-bounds line, signifying the start of their third match. He threw the ball up and served it with an open hand, sending it sailing over the net. A shorter girl with a fake tan and a bright yellow bikini volleyed it right into the net.

The ball rolled back under the net and up to Matt’s feet. He grabbed it and spun it in his hands, getting ready to serve it for a second ace. “One, zero,” he called, anchoring his feet into the sand as he threw the ball up.

“Can we join in?”

Matt caught the ball, glancing over to the deeply tanned brunette standing at the perimeter of the court. She adjusted the straps of her green swim suit while peering at Matt from beneath the bill of a dirty trucker hat. Then he glanced at the girl beside her and about dropped the ball. He kept his eyes on her, waiting for the hallucination to end and for her to fade away. Instead, she smiled back and shrugged a freckly shoulder.

“Hey,” he said, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. “Conner.”

She winked went to take a spot on the other side of the net. Matt watched her - she’d exchanged her gym clothes for a pair of jean shorts and a white tank top. And he could see the straps of a navy blue bikini sticking out from underneath-

“Matt, we’re playing,” he heard someone call from his team. Natalie was turned around, watching him with expecting eyes. He could hear Conner laugh from across the court.

Natalie who?

“Right,” he said, “One, zero.” He tossed the ball up and served.